Ash-discharging device.



M. ALPERN.

ASH DISCHARGING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1913. RENEWED MAR. a0. 1916.

Patented June 27, 1916. g 32 SHEETS-SHEET z.

. 9 0O a 4 F J I m l n 7 lllilllflllll/Illlilllll l/II/llIl/lllllllfflll/I!!! I 7 a A 3 UNITED STATE MAXWELL ALPERN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed March 6, 1913, Serial No. 752,428. Renewed March 30, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAXWELL ALPERN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Ash-Discharging Devices, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel ash discharging device for mechanical stokers whose construction shall be such that the ash and clinkers are gradually cooled and then removed from the furnace.

It is further desired to provide an ash removing device whose construction will be such as to permit of an accumulation of cold ash in such position as will protect the iron work of the furnace or stoker in which it is used; it being also desired to provide a novel device for breaking the clinker into pieces of such size as will conveniently pass through a chute or may be properly handled in any of the ordinary forms of ash conveyers.

A further object of my invention is to provide an ash discharging device of the above noted general type, which in addition to providing means for positively breaking and removing the ash and clinker, shall also provide means for positively directing this material to said removing means and at the same time reversing the direction of its flow, in order to prevent it coming in contact with the bridge wall of the furnace.

Another ob ect of the invention is to provide an ash removing device which shall include a structure for collecting a body of ashes in a cavity extending transversely of the furnace as well as means whereby the ashes may "be continuously removed from that part of said cavity farthest from the burning fuel in the furnace.

I also desire to provide an ash discharging device of the above noted type with means for positively feeding the-ash to crushing rolls or other discharging means and at the same time positively preventing the hot ash coming into contact with and adhering to the adjacent parts of the furnace structure.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan of an ash discharging Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Serial No. 87,849.

device constructed according to my inven tion, F 1g. 2 is a side elevation illustrating the driving mechanism for the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevation partly in section and on an enlarged scale, illustrating the detail construction of the crushing rolls shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4

is an elevation partly in section illustrating a modified form of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the above drawings, 1. represents the setting of a boiler which is supplied with fuel by means of. a mechanical stoker, illustrated as of the underfeed type certain of whose grate bars are lndicated at 2. The rear ends of these latter terminate adjacent the rear edge of a depression or cavity 3 extending transversely of the furnace (Fig. 3), and in the bottom of this depression is mounted a pair of crushing rolls 4 and 5, journaled in suitable bearings provided in or adjacent the settlng 1 at the sides thereof. These rolls are parallel and extend the full width of the furnace, there being on each of them a series of crushing or cutting teeth, 6 and 7, ofwhich certain are preferably though not necessarily set so as to present flat faces to the mass of ashes, while others present sharp edges thereto. The roll 4: is set immediately adjacent a plate 8 which projects horizontally to the rear of the wind box 9'of the stoker structure and said plate is preferably recessed at its rear edge to provide for the passage of the teeth 6 and 7 of said roll. Above and to the rear of the crushing roll 5, I provide a depression 10 in the bridge wall or back part 11 of the setting and mount a third roll 12 parallel With the rolls 4 and 5, so that it extends to a greater or less degree into said depression, although in some cases and without departing from my invention, I may omit said depression, and mount said roll in front of the wall 11. This roll is provided with series of teeth 13 and these as well as the teeth 6 and 7 of the rolls 4 and 5'may be disposed in any desired manner or arrangement upon the roll surface. It is to be noted that the teeth 13 have no cutting edges as they are primarily intended to change the direction of movement of the ash and clinkers rather than to cut or break them.

For driving the three rolls I provide any suitable power actuated mechanism which in the drawings is shown as consisting of a longitudinally reciprocating bar 14 con-- nected to an arm 15 fixed to a shaft 16. This latter also has fixed to it a second arm 17 connected through a link 18 with an arm l9 loosely mounted on an extension of the shaft 19 to which the roll 4 is fixed. The roll 5 has a driving shaft 20 on which is .fiXed a gear 21 meshing with a second gear 22 fixed to the shaft 19 and this latter is actuated from'the arm 19 by means of a pawl 23 pivoted to said arm and operative upon a ratchet wheel 22 also fixed to said shaft. The shaft 24: of the roll 12 has fixed to it a sprocket wheel 25 connected through a sprocket chain 26 with a second and larger sprocket wheel 27 on the shaft 20, so that under operating conditions this third roll 12 is turned at a speed materially higher than that of the rolls a and 5.

Under conditions of use the operation of the stoker causes a mass of ash and clinkers to be discharged into the cavity 3.so that it almost or wholly fills the latter and r thus prevents the entrance of any material quantity of air. Through power applied to the reciprocating rod 1d, the roll 4 is intermittently turned as indicated, which through the gears 22 and 21., turns the roll 5 in. the opposite direction. As a consequence, the mass of ashes and clinker resting upon these rolls is engaged by the teeth 6 and 7 thereof and cut or crushed sufiiciently to cause their discharge from the furnace through the space between said rolls.

The more or less heated mass of ash at the rear upper part of the depression 3 is brought into contact with the third roll 12 as it comes from the grate or dead plate, and as said roll is turned from the sprocket chain 26 in the same direction as the roll 5, it reverses the direction of movement of said mass, forcing it downwardly toward the rolls 4 and 5 and to a greater or less extent breaking it by reason of the action of the teeth 13. The hot plastic ash is thus prevented from adhering to the bridge wall or damaging any of the metal parts of the stoker structure. In this connection I consider it advantageous to operate the roll 12 at a higher speed than the rolls 1 and 5, which may be operated all the time that the furnace is in operation or may be'run only when there has been a predetermined accumulation of ash and clinkers in the depression 3. In any case, however, there is a relatively thick body of ashes in the form of a transversely elongated mass, to the top of which the ash resulting from the burning fuel is added, while the cooled ash is removed from the bottom of said mass.

In some cases, as when the furnace is designed to be fed from both ends, I may operate the rolls 4 and 5 in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l, by

means of any suitable gearing or other driving mechanism (not shown), and at the opposite sides of the depression. or cavity 3, which in this instance lies between the two stokers or fuel burning surfaces, 1 mount a transversely extending abutment plate 30 hinged or pivotally mounted on a shaft or red 31 in such manner that it is free to swing toward or from the adjacent roll l or 5, as the case may be. These latter have shafts operative in bearings carried at each end by a beam or guide 40 which in turn is supported on brackets attached to transverse members 34. Each of the rolls as before is provided with teeth 6, arranged in any d sired or suitable'manner and each of said abutment plates has an extension 32 substantially triangular in section, designed to provide a crushing surface serving to some extent to support the body of ashes or clinker while it is being acted on by the teeth 6 of one or the other of the rolls tt or 5. By means of any suitable device these plates 30 may be swung back from. the roll 4 or 5 to which they are adjacent, from the position shown at the left hand side of Fig. i into that shown at the right hand side thereof, so as to allow of the rapid discharge of ash and clinker, as may be necessary under certain conditions.

For the purpose of operating the abutment plates and locking them in their inner positions, I provide suitably mounted shafts 33 carried in bearings on parts 3% of the furnace supporting structure, and connect each of said shafts to the adjacent plate 30 through an arm 35 and a link 36 so disposed as to form a toggle, which when said plate is in its inner position, is prevented from breaking by the top member of the supporting structure 34:. The second arm 37 fixed to each of the shafts 33, permits the collapsing or breaking of the toggle when desired, so that the plate 30 may be easily turned into the open position shown by any suitable operating device attached to the link 38 which is connected to said second arm.

Under operating conditions both of the plates 30 are in the inner positions shown at the left hand side of Fig 4c and the ashes and clinkers are delivered from the grate bars or other adjacent parts of the stokcr so as to partially or wholly fill the recess or depression 5 be turned by any suitable mechanism in the direction shown by the arrow, their teeth. will engage and crush the adjacent masses of cold ash or clinker, breaking or cutting it by direct contact as well as by 1 reason of the cutting or crushing action resulting from its being forced against the adjacent extension 32 of each of the plates 30. it will be noted that these extensions present relatively sharp edges to a mass of ash 3. If new, the rolls 4 and 1 'means for discharging ashes from said pocket consisting of a pair of coacting rolls; and a power actuated device for directing ashes from the bridge wall toward the discharge device.

2. The combination in a furnace of a fuel burning portion; a bridge wall; a pair of discharging rolls mounted in a pocket adjacent the bridge wall; and a toothed rollmounted above said discharging rolls adjacent the bridge wall for deflecting ashes therefrom; with means for driving said rolls.

3. The combination in a furnace of a fuel burning portion; a bridge wall; a pair of discharging rolls mounted in a pocket adjacent the bridge wall; and a toothed roll mounted above said discharging rolls ad jacent the bridge wall for deflecting ashes therefrom; with means for driving 'said rolls; said means including a. device for driving the deflecting roll at a higher speed than the. discharging rolls.

4. The combinationin a furnace of a fuel burning portion; a bridge wall; a deflecting roll mounted adjacent the bridge wall; two crushing and discharging rolls mounted in a pocket between the fuel burning portion and the bridge wall; with means'for intermittently driving said rolls, the same ineluding means for turning the deflecting roll at a higher speed than the crushing anddischarging rolls.

5. An underfeed stoker having twyers alternating with fuel retorts constituting a fuel burning portion and including a transversely extending structure spaced away from the innermost part of saidportion to form a relatively deep, narrow, transversely extending ash pocket havingsubstantially vertical front and rear walls; toothed rolls mounted adjacent the lower ends of said Walls'of the ash pocket to form the bottom thereof and positioned to at all times support a relatively deep air excluding body of. ashes; and means for actuating said rolls to crush and discharge cold ashes from the pocket while retaining an air exeluding body of heated ashes therein.

6. An underfeed stoker having twyers alternating with fuel retorts constituting a fuel burning portion and including a trans versely extending structure .spaced away from the innermost part of said portion to form a relatively deep, narrow, transversely extending ash pocket having substantially vertical front and rear walls; an ash crushing and discharging device mounted adjacent the lower ends of said walls of the ash pocket to form the bottom thereof and positioned to at all times support a relatively deep air excluding body of ashes; and means for actuating said device to crush and discharge cold ashes from the pocket while retaining an air excluding body of heated ashes therein.

Intestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAXWELL ALPERN. Witnesses:

CHARLES L. SMITH,

VERA LEONE. SMITH. 

